This year, in an inaugural ceremony, first-generation graduating Spartans received their very own vestment: a graduation stole. Often representing an accolade or affiliation, a graduation stole is a narrow sash worn by students around their neck and shoulders during their formal commencement ceremonies, offering visual acknowledgement of graduates' hard work and communities.
Community and connection
At MSU, students are considered “first-gen” when their parents did not complete a four-year college or university degree. While there are many challenges that all incoming undergraduates can expect to face, first-gen students often encounter additional barriers. On top of adjusting to a new environment and routine, they are also the first in their families to learn how to navigate the complex system of higher education.
For many first-gen students, they may not feel represented or included in some aspects of campus culture and may not know how to access important university services like advising and tutoring. Bella Hilden, a first-gen Spartan who graduated in spring 2025 with a B.S. in Human Biology, recalled her first impressions: “When I got to college, I noticed that other students knew a lot more about college life than I did. I was not sure where to go for help, I didn't know about a lot of resources or organizations. I didn't know how to find a place where I fit in.”
Once Bella discovered the resources available for first-gen students at MSU through the First-Generation Leadership and Innovation (FLI) Vanderploeg Scholars Program, her experience changed drastically. With support from first-gen programming and staff, suddenly her goals seemed possible. “They helped me study abroad in a service trip to Mexico, and at a medical school in Rome,” Bella said. “They helped me find resources for graduate school exams, learn what I needed to do to apply for PA school, and reviewed my personal statement. This community has even given me some of my best friends. Once I joined, I found my people and my purpose.”
Recognition and support
The idea to create a graduation stole for first-gen students began with a generous donation from Mike and Michele Alston who, having been first-generation college students themselves, were keen to support first-gen initiatives. Mike, an MSU alum, said he remembered what it felt like to be new to campus surrounded by peers who seemed to know where to go and what to do, while he himself struggled to find somewhere to get a simple haircut.
Mike also remembered the powerful impact of his own graduation ceremony, of his mother holding his rolled-up diploma with tears of joy in her eyes, a tactile representation of what he had accomplished and all the people who helped him along the way. The Alstons wanted to enrich that experience for current first-gen students through a physical token and special recognition that families and supporters could be a part of too. “I know, as a first-gen student, that it took a lot of people to get them to this place. The stole is a symbol of that support from parents, grandparents, family, and friends. It is a visible sign of this accomplishment,” Mike explained.
The design of a graduation stole is customized to the group it represents and may include any color, symbol, or text. The first-generation graduation stole is white with Spartan green edges and has vertical text reading FIRST GENERATION racing boldly down one side. The standard version of the stole features the MSU official seal on the opposite side, and an alternate version for First-Generation Leadership and Innovation (FLI) Vanderploeg Scholars Program participants features a circle graphic representing the FLI program.
First-Generation Stoling Ceremony
The inaugural First-Generation Stoling Ceremony took place in the evening on April 14, 2025, in a packed ballroom at the MSU Union. “We had to cut off registration because we filled the room,” said Sarah Ward, program director for First-Generation Student Success. “Our students wanted to attend the ceremony and bring as many of their friends and family as possible to celebrate with them. We had to limit each student to one guest due to space, and we had such an incredible turnout.”
Between the event itself and those graduating students who were not able to attend, over 600 stoles were bestowed, celebrating first-gen students graduating in the spring, summer, and fall of 2025. Supporters in attendance at the ceremony were given the honor of personally placing the stole around their Spartan’s shoulders in a culminating moment which Sarah said filled the ballroom with joy and pride as the sea of students, supporters, family and friends erupted into applause. Ward and her team are excited to start planning next year’s Stoling Ceremony and hope it can take place in an even larger venue so students can bring as many guests as they want.
“For so long there’s been this deficit language around first-gen and students not wanting to claim the identity, but I think this event really showed that students are proud of their hard work and what they've overcome,” Ward commented. “This community is resilient. They want to be recognized, and they deserve to be seen.”
With the invaluable support of donors like Mike and Michele Alston, first-gen programming at MSU continues to expand, helping to provide resources and connect communities. “With a campus so large, it can be easy to get lost and hard to find your niche,” said Mike. “Finding a community to be affiliated with, to start building your support system within, can make it so much easier to navigate campus life.” Mike also observed the importance of trust, “When trust is built between first-gen students and their university, they can feel comfortable expressing what they need and saying what they are looking for.”
Graduating first-gen student Bella expressed a similar optimism, “My hope is that future first-generation students no longer feel the gap between them and other students, because work is being done to minimize that feeling. It is my wish that MSU becomes a place that first-generation students apply to specifically because of the resources and the effort that is being put in to make every student feel prepared for higher education.”
Learn more about how you can support MSU's first-gen students at firstgen.msu.edu
